Why the Apple Watch holds key to Apple’s fortunes this time

Apple came out with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus yesterday, among much hype.

The new features that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus showcase include an improved, durable from factor with shatter resistant Sapphire crystal glass with oleophobic coating for water resistance. The resolution on the iPhone has also been improved – Apple calls it Retina HD. The iPhone 6 comes with 1334 x 750p display resolution, while the iPhone 6 Plus comes with a 1920 X1080p display resolution, making it Apple’s first full HD smartphone.

Both handsets come with rounded edges and smooth metallic finish at the back, somewhat reminiscent of Apple’s first iPhone. The power button has been shifted to right top edge, in accordance with the new form factor.

As far as the internals go, both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus come with a 64-Bit Apple A8 chip, which is claimed to be 25 percent faster than the previous A7 chip and also has a 50 percent faster graphic card. Along with these, it also has the M8 motion coprocessor for fitness related functions.

The iPhone 6 has unprecedently received brickbats from smartphone buyers with a little common sense. The halo above Apple’s head is disappearing. The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus do not offer anything out of the world that existing Android phones do not offer.

In this kind of situation, the silver lining then comes with the Apple Watch. It offers the comprehensive health and fitness functionality which is extremely precise and customizable.

The watch has a scratchproof sapphire crystal glass with a flexible Retina panel display. The watch is available in two sizes, three finishes and multiple bands. There is one edition available in 18 karat gold.

The Apple Watch has a Taptic Engine which senses all the inputs. It also has a built-in gyroscope and a heart rate sensor. The watch is able to distinguish between a tap and a press and also measures force and a harder press is called as Force Touch.

The high point though is that it will make good use of Siri, which is still a very good voice assistant. Siri and Apple Watch seem made for each other and the Apple Watch might be the best thing we might see on smartwatches for some time.

But it is not about just what the smartwatch offers. It is about Apple. Up till now, smartwatches have been considered a gimmick or an experimental device. Now that Apple has come out with one, it has lent some legitimacy to the whole concept. It is expected to open people’s minds to the concept.

But the stake is not just for the smartphone concept, but for Apple too. Now that the iPhones have joined the league of the mainstream phones, it depends on the Apple Watch to give it that differentiating factor and also hold up the Apple brand. Let’s say Apple maintains its premium market with iPhone 6. But, that alone cannot be called a success in the smartphone industry. To properly sustain itself, Apple not only needs keep delighting existing consumers, but also keep adding to the existing consumer base, which Android might eat into.

For Apple, Image is very important to succeed. It is, in fact, something that Apple has continuously held up and the main reason for its success. The Apple Watch, depending on its success, might give Apple the edge. If it flops like the iPhone 5C, it might bring in dark days for Apple.